Marvel takes to iTunes with Spider-Woman motion comic

Comic book sales may be down with the recession, but publishers have a new weapon in their arsenal to combat the digital drift — the motion comic.

Essentially an animated panel by panel video, the new format is equipped with voiceover narration, and will bring the Spider-Woman story into the digital age.

Will this new format replace the traditional paper comic? No. But it is a great marketing tool.

Marvel is not the first publisher to try out the new format. Last year Warner Bros. and DC Comics released motion comics for Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen, as well as the Batman and Superman titles.

John Dokes, Marvel’s vice
president of sales and marketing. Tells Wired:

“We’re using the motion comics medium to tell brand new stories that
can appeal to so many different people. Additionally, we’re turning classic
paper comic series into Marvel motion comics and exposing this next
generation to some of the greatest creators and top moments in Marvel
history.”

It's an interesting approach, since the videos are compiled of comic
images that move and slide, but are not entirely animated. It utilizes the technological advances that comic creators have been making and helps the genre straddle the digital divide without entirely giving up on the traditional comic panel.

The new format is both cheaper and more easily distributed than paper comics. And while a digital file will not replace paper comics on the shelves of collectors, it is a great marketing tactic. Comic book sales were down for most of 2008, and the business cannot rely on blockbuster films based on comics alone to stoke interest in the genre.

"It's a necessary road—not to replace printed comics, but create
another gateway situation for people to discover the comics and mosey
over to their comic book store," Marvel writer Brian Bendis tells MTV News .

Combining animation with traditional the motion comic is more of a side shuffle than the next iteration of the comic book. Essentially, it's a big commercial
for paper comics. Let's see if it works.

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